Part 59

Holds shoe upper to lip of insole.]

[Illustration: UPPER TRIMMING MACHINE.

Trims off surplus part of shoe upper and lining.]

In all of the lasting operations the tacks are driven but part way in, except at the heel portion of the shoe, where they are driven through the insole and clinched on the iron heel of the last. The tacks are driven only part way in, in order that they may be afterward withdrawn so as to leave the inside of the shoe perfectly smooth. In making shoes other than Goodyear Welts, with the exception of the Goodyear Turn Shoe, it is necessary to drive the tacks through the insole and clinch them inside the shoe, so that the different portions of the sole inside the shoe have clinched tacks. These are left even after the shoe is finished. This smooth interior of the shoe is one of the essential features of the Goodyear Welt Process.

In the lasting operation there is naturally a surplus amount of leather left at the toe and sometimes around the sides of the shoe, and this is removed on the Rex Upper Trimming Machine in which a little knife cuts away the surplus portion of the leather very smoothly and evenly, and simultaneously a small hammer operating in connection with the knife pounds the leather smooth along the sides and the toe of the shoe. The shoe then passes to the Rex Pounding Machine, in which a hammer pounds the leather and counter around the heel so that the stiff portion of the shoe conforms exactly to the shape of the last.

The shoe is now ready to receive the welt, which is a narrow strip of leather that is sewed along the edge of the shoe, beginning where the heel is placed and ending at the same spot on the opposite edge. This welt is sewed from the inside lip of the insole, so that the needle passes through the lip, upper and welt, uniting all three securely and allowing the welt to protrude evenly along the edge. The needle in making this stitch does not go inside the shoe, but passes through only a portion of the insole, leaving the inside perfectly smooth. This part of the work was formerly one of the most difficult and laborious tasks in shoemaking. As it was performed entirely by hand, the drawing of each stitch depended upon the strength and mood of the workman. It is of course obvious that with different operators stitches were oftentimes of different lengths and drawn at different tensions; for human nature is much the same everywhere, and it is impossible for a workman who has labored hard all day to draw a stitch with the same tension at night as might have been possible in the morning.

[Illustration: AN AUTOMATIC SEWING MACHINE WHICH NEVER TIRES

WELT AND TURNED SHOE SEWING MACHINE

Upper portion shows operator at machine. The lower shows formation and location of stitch formed by this machine.

Welt Stitch

Welt]

It is surprising how quickly and easily the work is done on the Goodyear Welt Sewing Machine. This famous machine has been the leading factor in the great revolution that has taken place in shoe manufacturing. Its work should be carefully noted--all stitches of equal length and measured automatically, the strong linen thread thoroughly waxed and drawn evenly and tightly; for the machine never tires, and it draws the thread as strongly in the evening as in the morning. Every completed movement of the needle forms a stitch of great strength, which holds the welt, upper and insole securely together.

As the lasting tacks as well as the tacks which hold the insole in place on the last were withdrawn just prior to this operation, it will be seen that the inside of the shoe is left perfectly smooth. After this process the surplus portions of the lip, upper and welt which protrude beyond the stitches made by the Goodyear Welt Machine are trimmed off by the Goodyear Inseam Trimming Machine--a most efficient machine, in which a revolving cup-shaped knife comes in contact with the surplus portions of the leather and trims them off very smoothly down to the stitches.

[Illustration: PUTTING THE GROUND CORK AND RUBBER CEMENT IN SHOES

INSEAM TRIMMING MACHINE.

Trims shoe upper lining and lip of insole smooth down to stitches.]

[Illustration: WELT BEATING AND SLASHING MACHINE

Beats welt so that it stands out evenly round edge of shoe.]

[Illustration: PLACING SHANK AND FILLING BOTTOM.

Workman tacks shank in place and fills bottom with ground cork and rubber cement.]

At this stage the shoe is passed to the Universal Welt Beater, in which a little hammer vibrating very rapidly beats the welt so that it stands out evenly from the side of the shoe. As the leather is bent around the toe, it is the natural tendency of the welt to draw more tightly at that place, and this is taken care of by a little knife which the operator forces into operation, in the beating process, the toe is being taken care of, and it makes a series of little cuts diagonally along the edge of it. The insole and welt now receive a coating of rubber cement. This cement is contained in an air-tight tank and is applied by means of a revolving brush, which takes its supply of cement, as required, from a can.

In this way, an even coating of any desired thickness is given to the insole and welt. This machine has many advantages; the cement being closely confined in the tank, there is almost no waste in its use. Formerly, when this was done by hand, the waste through evaporation or lack of care on the part of the workman was very material.

The heavy outsole of the shoe also receives at this time proper attention. The flesh side of this sole, or the side next to the animal, receives a coating of rubber cement, and after it has dried slightly the operator of the Goodyear Improved Twin Sole Laying Machine takes the work in hand. In this machine there is a rubber pad, or mould, which has been made to conform to the curve in the sole of the shoe. After placing the last on the spindle, which is suspended from the machine and hangs over the rubber mould, the outsole having been previously pressed against the bottom of the shoe, the operator by pressing the foot lever causes this arm to descend, forcing the shoe down into the mould, so that every portion of the sole is pressed against the bottom of the shoe and welt. Here they are allowed to remain for a sufficient length of time for the cement to properly set, the operation being repeated on a duplicate part of the machine, the operator leaving one shoe under pressure while he is preparing another.

[Illustration: MACHINES WHICH PUT THE SOLES ON SHOES

SOLE LAYING MACHINE.

Presses outsole to bottom of shoe where it is held by rubber cement.]

[Illustration: ROUNDING AND CHANNELLING MACHINE.

Roughly rounds outsole and welt to conform to shape of last. Cuts small channel along edge for stitches.]

The next operation is that of trimming the sole and welt so that they will protrude a uniform distance from the edge of the shoe. This work is performed on the Goodyear Universal Rough Rounding Machine, which gauges the distance exactly from the edge of the last. It is often desired to have the edge extended further on the outside of the shoe than it does on the inside and also that the width of the edge should be considerably reduced in the shank of the shoe. This is taken care of with great accuracy by the use of this machine. The operator is able to change the width at will. By the use of this remarkable machine the operator is also enabled to make the sole of the shoe conform exactly to all others of similar size and design.

[Illustration: CHANNEL OPENING MACHINE.

Turns back lip of channel preparatory to stitching.]

[Illustration: CHANNEL CEMENTING MACHINE.

Coats surface of channel so it may be laid to cover stitches.]

The surplus portion of the leather is now trimmed off on the Heel-Seat Rounding Machine, and the channel cut by the knife on the Rough Rounding Machine is turned up so that it leaves the channel open. This is done by the Goodyear Universal Channel Opening Machine, in which a little wheel, turning very rapidly, lays the lip smoothly back.

~SEWING THE SOLE TO THE SHOE~

The outsole is now sewed to the welt. This operation is performed on the Goodyear Outsole Rapid Lockstitch Machine, which is very similar in operation to the Goodyear Welt Sewing Machine used in sewing the welt to the shoe. The stitch, however, is finer and extends from the channel which was cut for it to the upper side of the welt, where it shows after the shoe has been finished. The lockstitch formed by this machine is a most durable one. Using a thoroughly waxed thread, it holds the outsole securely in place, even after the connecting stitches have been worn off. This is one of the most important machines in the shoemaking process. It is able to sew even in the narrow shank, where a machine using a straight needle could not possibly place its stitch.

The “Star Channel Cementing Machine--Model A” is again called into operation for the purpose of coating with cement the inside of the channel in which this stitch has been made. A special brush with guard is used for this purpose, and the operation is very quickly performed by the skilled operator.

After this cement has been allowed to set a sufficient length of time, the channel lip, which has previously been laid back against the sole, is again forced into its former position and held securely in place by rubber cement. This work is done by the Goodyear Channel Laying Machine, in which a rapidly revolving wheel provided with a peculiar arrangement of flanges forces back into place, securely hiding the stitches from observation on this portion of the shoe.

[Illustration: MACHINES WHICH PUNCH THE SOLES OF SHOES

CHANNEL LAYING MACHINE.

Rubs channel lip down to cover stitches.]

[Illustration: LOOSE NAILING MACHINE

Drives small nails which hold outsole in place at heel.]

The next operation is that of leveling, which is performed on the Automatic Sole Levelling Machine--one of the most interesting used in the shoemaking process. This is a double machine provided with two spindles, on one of which the operator places a shoe to be levelled. It is securely held by the spindle and a toe rest, and on the operator’s pressing a foot lever, the shoe passes automatically beneath a vibrating roll under heavy pressure. This roll moves forward with a vibrating motion over the sole of the shoe down into the shank, passes back again to the toe, then cants to the right, and repeats the operation on that side of the shoe, returning to the toe and canting to the left, repeating the operation on that side; after which the shoe automatically drops forward and is relieved from pressure. This rolling motion removes every possibility of there being any unevenness in the bottom of the shoe, and while one shoe is under pressure the operator is preparing a second one for the operation.

[Illustration: AUTOMATIC LEVELLING MACHINE.

Rolls out any unevenness in soles.]

[Illustration: HOW THE HEEL OF A SHOE IS PUT ON

TOP LIFT

COMPRESSED HEEL

BEFORE OPERATION AFTER OPERATION

Heel Attaching

WORK PERFORMED BY HEELING MACHINES.]

[Illustration: AUTOMATIC HEEL LOADING AND ATTACHING MACHINE.]

[Illustration: SLUGGING MACHINE.

Drives small pieces of ornamental metal which protect the heel.]

[Illustration: HEEL TRIMMING MACHINE.

Trims rough lifts of heel to desired shape.]

[Illustration: HEEL BREASTING MACHINE.

Cuts the breast of the heel to correct angle and curve.]

[Illustration: EDGE TRIMMING MACHINE.

Trims edge of outsole smoothly.]

[Illustration: A LUMP OF PULP.

Paper such as found in this book is made from trunks and limbs of trees.

The use of good fibers in book paper is a guarantee of quality and durability. The above illustration represents a lump of this pulp prepared for the beaters.]

How the Paper in this Book is Made

Where Does Paper Come From?

Egyptians were the first people to make what would today be called paper. They made it from a plant called papyrus and that is where the name comes from.

This plant is a species of reed. The Egyptians took stalks of reed cut into as thin slices as they could, laid them side by side; then they arranged another layer on top with the slices the other way and put this in a press. When dried and rubbed until smooth, it made a kind of paper, which could be written upon.

One of the first substances used for making the kind of paper we have today was cotton. Paper was made from cotton about 1100 A. D. From this thin cotton paper our present papers are a development, i.e., paper today is largely made of vegetable fibers. Vegetable fibers consist mostly of cellulose surrounded by other things which hold the short vegetable fibers together.

The fibers best adapted for making paper are those of the cotton and flax plants, and while the uses of paper were few, no other material was needed when it was once learned that cotton and linen fibers would do for making paper. All we had to do was to save all the old rags and sell them to the paper man.

In making paper from rags, the rags were allowed to rot to remove the substances that incrust the cellulose, and then beaten into a pulp, to which a large quantity of water was added. This pulp was put into a sieve, until the greater part of the water had been drained off by shaking, and the fibers remaining formed a thin layer on the bottom of the sieve. This layer of fiber was put into a pile with other similar layers, and the whole pile was placed under a press, where more of the water was removed. When they were dry, we had a very fair kind of paper which was, however, not much better than blotting paper and could not be written on with ink because it was loose in texture and very absorbent.

To give it good writing surface it was necessary to fill the pores. This was done by sizing which gave the paper great firmness. Paper was sized by drawing the layers of paper through a solution of alum and glue, or some similar substances, and then drying them, then finally passed between highly polished rollers to iron it. This gave it the necessary smooth hard surface.

In the modern method of making rag paper by machinery, the rags are boiled with caustic soda, which separates the cellulose fibers, and placed in a machine in which rollers set with knives tear the rags to pieces and mix them with water to form a pulp. This is called a breaker. The pulp is then bleached with chloride of lime, and is passed on to the sizing machine. This machine mixes the pulp with alum and with a kind of soap, made from suitable resins which serves the purpose better than glue.

[Illustration: NOT A WOOD YARD BUT THE OUTSIDE OF A PAPER MILL.

This shows the great piles of trunks and limbs of trees near a wood pulp paper mill used in making paper for newspapers, books, magazines, etc.]

How Is the Water Mark Put Into Paper?

The pulp, which is now ready to be made into paper, is poured out upon an endless cloth made of fine brass wire. This cloth travels constantly in one direction, by means of rollers, and is given at the same time a sort of vibratory motion, to cause the paper fibers to become more closely felted together. On the wire cloth web are usually woven words, or designs, in wire, that rise above the rest of the surface. These are transferred to the paper, and are called water marks. The machine then winds the finished paper into rolls, so that it may be handled conveniently.

~HOW PAPER IS NOW MADE FROM WOOD~

During the past few years the uses for paper have increased so greatly that there have not been enough rags available to meet the demand for material, and a successful effort was made to find other material from which paper could be made. Many fibers were tried before it was found that wood pulp could be used. Straw and esparto grass, a plant that grows wild in North America, were found to yield cellulose having the desired qualities and were used to some extent. But the problem was solved when it was learned that pulp made from trunks and limbs of trees would serve even then. At first the powder formed by grinding up logs was used, but the paper produced was not strong, and could be used for very few purposes.

[Illustration: GREAT FORESTS TURNED INTO PAPER

PAPER TREES.

This picture shows the trees as they grow in the woods. These trees are good for making paper. Your morning paper, may some morning be printed on what is left of one of these trees.]

It was discovered finally that if wood shavings were boiled in strong solutions of caustic soda, in receptacles that would withstand very high pressure, the wood fibers were separated, and a very good quality of cellulose for paper manufacture produced, provided it was bleached before being made into paper, and most of our paper to-day is, therefore, made of wood.

Later on this process gave way to the sulphite process. In the sulphite process, a solution of sulphite of lime is used. Acid sulphite of lime results when the fumes from burning sulphur are passed through chimneys filled with lime. By this process the separation of the fibers and the bleaching are done at the same time and an even whiter paper making material is obtained.

The sulphite process is now used almost exclusively in making paper from wood.

[Illustration: GRINDING ROOM.

In this picture we see how the trees are first cut into smaller chunks before being reduced to chips for making pulp.]

The discovery of the process of making paper from wood has led to the use of paper for many purposes for which it could otherwise never have been used. The wood pulp is also used in the form of papier-mâché, a tough, plastic substance, which is made by mixing glue with it, or by pressing together a number of layers of paper having glue between. Papier-mâché can easily be molded into almost any form, and after drying forms a very tough substance and one that will stand rough usage. It has been employed for making dishes, water baskets and utensils of many other kinds, for making the matrices for and from electrotype plates, for car wheels, and many other purposes.

[Illustration: WHERE THE INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING PAPER ARE MIXED

MIXING ROOM.

The wood fiber must be mixed with other ingredients when paper is made from it. This shows a corner of the large electro-chemical department for the production of bleach and soda used in the preparation of rag and wood fibres.]

[Illustration: THE WATER SUPPLY.

A good deal of water is needed in making paper. From twelve to fifteen million gallons daily are drawn from the river and filtered through this plant in Maine; clean paper of bright color being dependent upon the use of pure water.]

[Illustration: BEATING THE INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING PULP

BEATER ROOM.

The ingredients for making paper are first mixed thoroughly in machines called “beaters” before going to the paper making machines. The operation of beating is one of the most important in paper making.]

[Illustration: THE PAPER COMING OFF IN ROLLS.

As the paper progresses through the machines, it passes over a long series of heated cylinders, drying and hardening the stock until it reaches the finished end. This illustration shows a web 135 inches wide being cut into two rolls. The air pressure in the machine room is slightly greater than the atmospheric pressure outside, preventing dust from entering.]

[Illustration: GREAT PAPER-MAKING MACHINES IN OPERATION

PAPER MAKING MACHINES.

In the foreground is the so-called wet end showing the vats in which the liquid pulp, about 98 per cent water, is pumped. It is screened and then flows on to an endless wire web beyond, where the free water is taken out by drainage and by suction boxes.]

[Illustration: PUTTING THE PRINTING SURFACE ON THE PAPER

PAPER STOCK.

A large amount of stock of paper mills. This paper is seasoned by holding it in stock and will be later given such surface as is called for.]

[Illustration: COATING MACHINES.

Where the paper passes through a bath of coating mixture to a long drying gallery at the end of which it is rewound preparatory to being given the highly finished surface on the calendaring machine.]

[Illustration: A section of Finishing Room department where paper is passed through alternating compressed fiber and steel rolls giving it the surface required for different classes of printing. The paper on which the Book of Wonders is printed has a highly finished smooth surface so that the pictures will come out clear.]

[Illustration: WHERE THE PAPER IS CUT IN SHEETS

The finished rolls of stock pass through rotary cutters which produce the sheets of various required sizes. The paper in the Book of Wonders was cut in sheets 41x55 inches, thus making it possible to print 32 pages on each side of each sheet.]

[Illustration: Rotary Boiler for cooking rags or wood in making pulp for use in manufacture of paper.]

Illustrations showing manufacture of paper by courtesy of S. D. Warren & Co.

[Illustration: HOW THE PRINTED TYPE OF THIS BOOK WAS SET

This picture shows the wonderful Linotype machine by which the type of this book was “set,” as the printers say. The men who operate the machine are compositors. Originally the type matter of books was set by hand and the compositor composed in type what the author of the book had written. By pressing down on the keys which you see in the picture, the compositor sets the words in lines of metal. This machine is almost human. By touching the proper keys, the operator assembles a line of matrices the details of which are explained in another picture, and after this is done the machine automatically casts a slug from them, turns and delivers a slug into a galley ready for use and finally distributes the matrices back into their respective channels in the magazine, where they are ready to be called down again, by the touch of the key button. The latest model linotype has four magazines and can be equipped with matrices which when assembled will cast lines in from six to twelve different sizes and styles of type.

The assembling mechanism is the only part of the linotype where the human mind is applied to the working of the machine. It is necessary for the eye to read what is to be printed, and the mind, through the medium of the fingers, to translate this into assembled lines of matrices; after that the machine acts automatically.]

[Illustration: THE LINOTYPE—FOUR MACHINES IN ONE